Brassiere



July 16, 1946.' A. LICHT BRASSIERE Original Filed Sept. 21, 1943 M mw 1 mm ATTORNEYS I Reissued July 16, 1946 '1 OFFICE amass man Anna Licht, New York, N. Y.

Original No. 2,380,978, dated August 7, 1945, Serial No. 503,181, September 21, 1943. Application for reissue April 18, 1946, Serial No. 663,022

16 Claims.

I 1 It is among the objects of the invention to provide a well fitting cup-type brassiere which affords complete support for the bust withoutpressure or harness-like confinement and permits freedom of movement and of chest expansion without discomfort and without strain -upon the garment.

Another object is to provide a simple, inexpensive accessory device that can readily be attached to a cup brassiere of any conventional construction to afford the advantages above referred to.

In the accompanying drawing in which are shown one o more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the i vention Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the garment as worn, a

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view thereof on a larger scale with only part of the brace attached,

' Rig. 3 is a front elevation of the attachment Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale taken on line 4-4 of'Fig. 3, i

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale taken on line 5-5 of Fi 3,

Fig.6 is a fragmentary view of the wire brace. with one face of the sheath removed.

Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view ona larger scale taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 and showing a a .2 i Preferably, the two arcuate braces B and their connecting elastic strap S are preassembled as a unit and attached as such to the brassiere cups to serve as the brace therefor and the connector therebetween. Preferably, also, the arcuate brace is so formed as to afford convenience for guiding a line of stitching along and through the same. I In one preferred embodiment shown in Figs.

' 3, 4 and 5 each brace is made of a pair of stiffenfragment of the attached brace in perspective,

and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view partly in section of an alternative form of brace.

Referring now to the drawing, the conventional struction are attached together by any of a wide variety of connectors.

According to the present invention the lower rim of each cup has an arcuate, preferably a generally semi-circular brace B attached thereto, and said braces are desirably directly connected together at their adjacent ends by a short elastic strap S which alsoserves as the connector between the two cups.

cup-type brassiere illustratively shown includes a pair of fabric pieces Iii plaited as at H to afford ers, preferably adjacent wire lengths i6 and i1 enclosed in a fabric sheath it which completely houses their lengths as well as their ends. That sheath may be made of apiece of fabric stitched together at one face as at 19. As shown in Fig. 6 the brace is desirably made of a single length of wire reversely bent to form hairpin turns at the opposite ends of the brace, the abutting extremities of the wire being soldered, brazed or welded together as at 3|. The rounded hairpin turns afford a brace with smooth rounded ends,

and the continuous loop of metal is of arcuate form and its two wire lengths lie in a common plane with the convexity of the inner length nested and'slightly spaced from the concavity of the outer length.

The sheath in each embodiment would, of

ing to that of the brassiere itself or contrasting therewith according to any desired color scheme or design. The connecting elastic strap S is desirablyreversely bent at its ends 20 and stitched to the braces bya line of stitching 2i extending through the fabric sheath l8 and indenting the l same between the wires as shownat 22. 1

It will be obvious that the unit shown in Fig. 3 can be conveniently attached toform the border of or to frame the lower rim of the brassiere cups by a. median line of longitudinal stitching as at 23. As best shown in Fig. 7 the line of machine or hand stitching is guided. by the wire lengths l8 and ii to run through the sheath i8 midway therebetween and to conform to the concavity between said wires.

While the brassiere may be made and Ifialketed by the manufacturer as above disclosed, one important application of the invention is to market the brace and elastic connector unit shown in Figs. and 5 as'a brassiere attach- .ment for application to the conventional unbraced brassiere by the ultimate consumer. Three sizes of such brassiere attachment, large, medium and small are sufficient for fitting all but exceptional wearers. The connection between the two cups might be readily cut off by the wearer as might also, if desired, any excess brace in place to frame cup. Obviously, the

mode of suitable color to match or contrast with v or it maybeapplied by j as a separate attachment above descriptionorshown in f be r a 3 material beyond or below the cups of the brassiere, as usually made. The unit shown in Figs. 3, 4 and could then readily be stitched in place about theouter face of the lower rim of the respective cups ill by hand or by machine to complete the assembly. Prior eration'. the wearer might port. while conforming to the natural rotundity 01' the breasts, without pressure The elastic connecting strap S yields readily to stretching movement and to chest expansion of wearer without the least binding or discomtort.

the

In use, the two naked nested spaced wire lengths of each wire brace within the sheath therefor, are inherently kept in a common plane in-ali settings thereof, and the pressure exerted thereby against the body is distributed over so wide an area as to preclude any discomfort ,or iniury to the tender 'tissue under the breast. Thus, there is avoided the need forrelatively bulb and costly textile or rubber buffers to protect the body from the excessive pressure that would be incurred in wear were but a single length of wire used for each brace. 8 t1!!! the alternative embodiment shown in Fig. encasedmetai brace is replaced by one of 'suitable plastic which may be made in any desired color and so requires no covering. The plastic strip 8' comprises a rounded rim extending the entire length or the inner or concave edge 28, and the outer or convert edge It as well as the ends". The rounded rim encompasses a unitary central web 28 the length of which has small perforations 2e therethrough along its middle, which serve for stitching-thereto 'the connecting strap 8 and for stitching the the lower rim of the plastic brace 3' 'might be that of the garment or, alternatively, it might be made of t or translucent plastic such as "Lucite" which'aii'ords' a particularly attractive effect by exposing to view the color anddesign of the underlying fabric.

the companion iorm, the present embodiment may he built into the garment as sold, the ulflmate consumer and may be conformed tothebustlineinthe snnerabovedescribed.

Asmanychanges eould be made in g of the cup-type comprising arcuate rs V I longitudinal median passage through the sheaths flanked by 4 elements of said stiii'ening braces, stitching across said passage connecting the braces to the lower 'rim's of the respective cups, and a strap intervening between the two sheathed braces and secured thereto at its ends- 2. A brassiere of the cup-type comprising arcuate fabric-sheathed braces, each brace comprising a pair of adjacent curved stifieners and stitching through said fabric sheath and extending between said stiffeners and connecting the braces to'fram'e the lower rim of each of the cups.

3. A brassire of the cup-type, comprising -'arcuate fabric-sheathed braces, each of said or discomfort.

Q cup and directly secured thereto for substanarcuate in it ingpassageth m'mtedesfll stra ivesnd 'stifleningbracee, relatively braces comprising a pair of adjacent curved wires, stitching through the fabric sheath and between the wires of each brace and connecting the braces to the lower rims of the respective cups and a rubber elastic strap intervening between the two sheathed braces and stitched thereto at its ends.

4. A brassiere of the cup-type having braces arcuate in form'i'raming the lower rim of each tially the whole length of said braces'and a strap arranged between and directly connecting substantially parallel parts of the tions of said braces.

5; A \brassiere of the cup-type having braces form framing the lower rim of each cup, each of said the formal a narrow, naked loop comprising two lengths with connecting hairpin turns at the opposite ends of' the loop, theconvexity of one length of the wire nesting in the concavity of having arcuate fabric sheaths along the lower rims the respective wire braces.

6. A brassiere, comprising brassiere cups uncovered plastic braces arcuate in form. each of tween and r c 7. The combination recited in claim 6 in which each plastic brace includes a rounded rim and a flat portion with the transverse perforations.

8. As an article of manufacture, an attachment unit for a conventional cup brassiere, said attachment comprising fening braces adapted 9. As an article of manufacture. attach ric sheath therefor, to sfl'ol'da relatively of for facility of a a brassiere cup- 1o; As an article ot manufacture. an smament unit for a convenflonai cup brassitre, said,

a pair of generally semii attachment comprising tabric-sheathed ing to aflorda median stitching passage thereof, for facility lower rim of brassiere cups. and-s short rubber elastic m stitched atits ends to near the inner ends the r spective braces.

braces, said inner end porbraces consisting of a wire in r I thereof enclosing ape-irofai'ttuatestifrelatively mobstrueted ment unit for a conventional cup brassiere, said unit comprising a'pair of braces, each of said braces comprising a pair of adjacent generally semicircular wires and a fabric sheath for each of said pairs of wires completely encasing the same, whereby'the wires of each brace afford a guide passage therebetween through the fabric sheath for convenience in stitching the same to the lower rims of the cups of a brassiere, and an elastic connecting strap stitched at its ends to the fabric sheaths by a line of stitching therethrough between the component wires of each brace.

12. As an article of manufacture, attachment unitjor a conventional cup brassiere, said unit including a brace comprising a length of wire having hairpin turns at its opposite ends, having its extremities abutting and secured together in a continuous loop, said braces being arcuate in form with the convexity of one length thereof nested in the concavity of the other, a fabric sheath for said closed arcuate wire loop completely guessing the same, whereby the brace affords a guide passage through the fabric sheath between the constituent lengths of wire for convenience in stitching the same to the lower rim of a bras siere cup.

is. As an mt: manufacture. a bracestructureforacupbrassierasaidstructureconsisting of wire with abutting extremities secured together in a continuous narrow. naked loop, comprisingtwolengthsofwirewithconnectinghairpin turns at the opposite ends of the loop, said brace being arcuate in form with the convexity of one length thereof nesting in and slightly spaced from'the concavity of tbg other.

14. A brace unit for a cup brassiere,.in which two of the bracestructures recited in claim 13 are directly connected by a strap therebetween.

15. As anarticle of manufacture, an attachmentunit for a conventional brassiere cup, said attachment comprising a generally semicircular plastic brace having a rounded rim along the length of both the convex and theconcave edge as well as along the ends thereof; and having a flat web encompassed by said rim. said web having transverse perforations thercthrough for facility of stitching.

, 16. As an article of manufacture. an attachment assembly for a conventional cup brassiere, said assembly comprising two uncovered plastic members of the construction recited in claim 15,

and a short elastic strap stitched at its ends to portions near the ends of the respective braces. 

